Wednesday, December 26, 2018

WWE Can't Help Themselves...

Full disclosure, it's been months since I've watched Raw or Smackdown. I've seen most of the pay per views and have felt no need to watch the shows. I watch the PPV's and have missed nothing. There is no need to watch the weekly show. Last night's Smackdown Live is exactly why. The so-called WWE Universe was promised changes and we got The MIz and Shane as a team, which is awful especially when there are decent teams on SDL getting no love. Not to mention Shane stinks in the ring apart from his predictable spots.
Then AJ Styles is so upset he attacked Vince McMahon. I know folks who were shocked and don't know why. Styles did this a couple years ago to Shane setting up their Mania match. Why WWE? Are you not taking the rise of Indie Wrestling seriously? Vince has survived so many attacks he probably believes he's invincible and it's hard to argue that thinking. However, the Indie thing is legit and in five years if they aren't careful it won't matter how many NXT's there are.
The reason WWE has continued as the big fish for so long is primarily their massive scale. Nobody in wrestling has been able to compete, and the WWE has looked invulnerable.
If the WWE continues with these story lines their ratings will continue to slip, and attendance will decline at the live shows. That is when the sharks circle. In any sport you only hear of competition when the major league is struggling, and WWE isn't. They make money and their stock price recently was at an all time high. Yet they aren't flourishing to the people who matter the most...the fans.
I've enjoyed WWF/WWE most of my life, but I would rather watch, write, and cover wrestling that may miss spots, or not cut the best promos because the matches are exciting, and the effort is there. I hear fans always say, when Trips takes over it'll be great. We shall see because I don't think NXT is perfect either, but at least WWE would have some fresh ideas, and it would be an improvement at this point. Vince McMahon belongs on the pro wrestling Mt. Rushmore. He's one of the greatest promoter's of all time, and has built his brand to be virtually impenetrable, but if more fans like me stop watching...